The Journey of a Lifetime
by Ayuki Frizzle Koda
Summary: Natsu and Lucy are trusted with a mission that could change their world forever if not completed in time. Along the way, previously subtle feelings come to the surface as their intimacy intensifies and sparks begin to fly in all kinds of directions.


Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail

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><p>Chapter 1: Rosy Locks<p>

The sunlight gleamed brightly on Lucy's closed eyelids, making her open them to welcome the shine of a new day. She sighed and stretched her tired limbs, sitting upright. Tiredly, she got out of her bed and trudged to the bathroom, scratching the back of her head and yawning. She brushed her teeth and took a thirty-minute long shower, still feeling unclean after her previous mission that involved large dogs and their equally large excretions. She shuddered as the water grazed across her soft skin.

_I have a feeling today is going to be an interesting day, _she thought as she wiped her damp skin with a fluffy white towel.

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><p>She arrived at Fairy Tail in a pair of light blue shorts and a fitted t-shirt, intent on having a nice and relaxing day where she could just talk with Levy about new books and keep updates on Sorcerer's Weekly with Mirajane. She sat at the bar as Mirajane wiped at never-ending pile of beer glasses that Cana so kindly left behind.<p>

"Lucy," Mirajane said acknowledging her with a warm smile. "You look comfortable today. Do you plan on doing any missions soon?"

Lucy sighed, resting her chin on her left palm and fingered her strands of loose hair. "Not in about a week. The last mission paid well enough so my rent for the month is taken care of. All I really want to do is rest." And with that statement, she leaned back lazily on the bar stool, trying to relax her mind until some high-pitched sound was buzzing in her ear.

"LLLLLUUUUUCCCCCYYYYY!" Happy sang. The bird-cat came flying towards her and landed softly in her lap.

"Hey, Happy," she said as she affectionately patted his head. "What do you need?"

Happy looked up at her, big black eyes shining up at her. "We're going on a mission," he said. "We leave tomorrow afternoon and pack heavy, it's extremely long."

"Yeah, yeah…sure," Lucy said airily and then she realized what Happy just said. "WHAT!" She hollered and stood up causing happy to slide off her lap and land on the ground with an "oomph". "There's no way I'm going on a long mission. I'm too tired. Tell Natsu maybe another time." She huffed and sat back on the stool.

Happy floated to eye-level with Lucy. "But Natsu already booked the mission. We can't return it. It's too serious for that." Lucy's eyes shut tight in anger. She fumed and a long river of strange words flowed out of the mage's mouth. Every member in the guild turned in the direction of the unending blasphemy and stared wide-eyed. (Happy had slipped away silently in fear.) When Lucy's rant was finished, she slid back on the stool, exhausted. She massaged her temples as she evened her breathing.

"Would you like some headache medicine?" Mirajane said from the other side of the bar, still wiping away at the beer glasses.

"It's alright, Mira-chan. I'm fine." She opened her eyes and placed her elbows on the bar. "Actually, a glass of water would be really nice right now." Mirajane smiled as she went about looking for a glass to fill with water. She gave the filled glass to Lucy and she drank it in one go. For about the hundredth time that day, she sighed and placed the glass back on the table. "When I find Natsu, I'll have his head on a stick and I'll parade around the whole Magnolia with it." She muttered angrily to herself, not expecting anyone to hear her.

"Those aren't very positive thoughts," Natsu said from behind her. She turned around, a steely gaze weighing down her usually pleasant features. He wore a crooked grin and his arms crossed his chest. "I'm all fired up for this mission! Aren't you?" Lucy did not respond and Natsu's face contorted in confusion. "Are you sick?" He placed his warm hand on Lucy's forehead. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she looked down at the floor. "You don't seem sick, but your cheeks are pink. Did you have a drink?"

She swatted his hand away. "I didn't have a drink and I'm fine." She lifted her head. "Why did you sign me up for this stupid mission? I really don't want to do it. Please, just find another partner." She said turning back towards the bar.

"But only we can do this mission," Natsu whined. Her eyes widened and her cheeks started turning pink again, but in an instant, her eyes went back to angry slits.

"What is this mission and why me?" She asked, still not facing hm.

"Well, I thought we were partners," Natsu said honestly. Lucy couldn't notice the slight blush that was also creeping up his cheeks. "Don't you like doing missions with me and Happy?"

She did. She knew she did, even if he tended to destroy everything being well aware of the fact that it wasn't necessary. She would always come back bruised, but with a smile on her face especially when Natsu would pass out in her laps on the train back to Magnolia and she stroked his rosy locks. Due to his motion sickness though, he would never know that, unless Happy was being slimy and telling him everything.

"Alright, fine. I'll go with you." Lucy mumbled, elbows propped on the bar table.

"I knew you would agree!" Natsu said. He made an attempt at a friendly pat on the back but instead, he cause Lucy's elbows to slip underneath her and her chin to connect with the bar table. She groaned in pain, and rested her head on the table, mentally cursing Natsu's life. "Even if you said 'no', I would have still dragged you along against your own freewill." Then he left her to wallow in her own self pity, ready to go pick a fight with Gray.

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><p>The next afternoon at around one o'clock, Lucy strolled down Magnolia's paved street with her suitcase, heading towards the train station. The bright sun and the cloudless sky were aggravating Lucy greatly. Today, she would have just decided to take a nice relaxing walk across the grass, admiring Magnolia's greenery and listening to the birds chirp peacefully overhead. Lucy neared the train station. <em>Natsu better not be late<em>, she thought.

Much to her surprise and chagrin, Lucy glimpsed the scaly white scarf and the rosy hair amongst the crowd of people. There was no way for her to run away now. When Lucy reached with Natsu and Happy she asked, "Why are you guys so early? The train doesn't leave for another twenty minutes."

Natsu faced, and slid an envelope into his backpack. "I wanted to brief you on the mission." Coming to think of it, Lucy didn't know anything about the mission. Only that it was extremely long. He looked around and began steering her into the train. They got their tickets punched and they entered a small compartment that had a glass door separating them from the crowd.

"Why so much privacy?" Lucy asked when she set her suitcase at her feet. "And why is it so important to tell me in a closed space?" Natsu rummaged through his sack and brought out the envelope. He took out a thin piece of parchment and handed it to Lucy. On the sheet of paper was a colored drawing of a beautiful young woman. She had purple hair that cascaded past her knees and large azure orbs. A sweet and sincere smile was plastered on her face, whose skin according to the picture was flawless. She wore a long celestial dress that flowed freely at her sides and golden celestial sandals. "Who is she?" Lucy asked finally, handing the parchment back to Natsu.

"Her name is Aurorah and she's the princess of on of the lesser kingdoms. The Kingdom of Millennia and it's our job to find her."

"Aye," Happy chimed in.

"Do you have any idea where she is," inquired Lucy. "Do we have anything to go by on?" She placed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, placed her elbows on the table between the two seats, and cupped her chin with her hands.

"Not really," Natsu said s he leaned forward on the table and mirrored Lucy's actions. "Only that she is most probably in northern Fiore and that we have to find her soon," his eyes found Lucy's, "or life will most likely cease to exist." Lucy didn't know what was more surprising: what Natsu just told her or his growing vocabulary. "Oh," Natsu said after awhile, "and she's been captured by someone who's planning to use her to break down what we have built up in the past centuries." He let out a quick breath. "She knows so much. In the wrong hands..." His voice trailed off and he looked at his feet.

Lucy sat back on the soft cushion, taking in the severity of the mission and damning her foolishness for allowing herself to be brought into such a life-changing situation. _What did this princess know? Why is she so important? I guess I'll have to ask him later. _She closed her eyes tightly and exhaled. After five minutes of silence Lucy cracked open her eyelids. She sat upright and met Natsu's questioning gaze.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?" Natsu asked, baffled by her sudden question. He furrowed his brows in concentration and searched Lucy's face for an answer.

"Why did you choose me?" she asked. "There are way stronger people in Fairy Tail. People who could actually help you with this mission." Lucy ran her hand across her belt and fingered her keys. "All I have are my keys and you know that. So, why?"

Natsu's gaze didn't falter as he looked into her own. "It's because you're Lucy," and he smiled brightly, closing his eyes. Her heart skipped at that simple statement for reasons she didn't comprehend.

"What do you mean?" she asked when she was finally able to rid herself of her subtle blush. But before Natsu could say anything, the train lurched forward causing him to moan on the table. "Motion sickness. It never gets old." Lucy chuckled lightly and made her way to the cushions where Natsu lay. She gently grabbed his shoulders and brought his head into her warm lap, silencing his groans of pain, but his features were still restless. Lucy laced her fingers in his hair as she hummed a lullaby. Natsu's face looked less pained every minute and he finally dozed off. Lucy continued her work as Happy watched them, a devious grin spreading across his usually adorable features.

"This is interesting," Happy whispered, barely audible because Lucy didn't hear him. She was too consumed with her own thoughts, wondering why she felt so content stroking Natsu's pretty rose locks while he rested peacefully in her laps.

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><p>*[A N] This is a multi-chapter story that I'm extremely excited about. I have everything planned out but little spontaneous things will be thrown in here and there. Because this chapter was setting the scene for the whole story, I didn't make it in first-person, but I most probably will. If you readers follow me through, I promise this will be an amazing ride :p :) (jk actually not jk )anywhooooo...

Please review and thank you very much! :)

~Ayuki Frizzle Koda


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